Blank Smile
Blank Smile is the 54th chapter of Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. Synopsis Ada chases after Sharon through the chaos spreading quickly throughout the mansion, asking if Sharon was sure that Vincent was going to be all right. Sharon tells Ada that there was no need to worry, and that their priority right now should be to get Ada out of harms way. Ada objects, noting how odd Vincent had been acting earlier. She explains that while anyone would be shocked after seeing someone get decapitated, Vincent acted differently, almost as if he was seeing something completely different at the time. Vincent clasped his hand over his mouth in shock after Yura's valet was decapitated, hallucinating that he was once again in the middle of the Tragedy of Sablier. Ada followed Vincent as he staggered down a hallway, calling after him, however when Vincent turned to see Ada, he instead saw a hallucination of Miranda Barma reaching out to him. Vincent ordered her not to touch him before pushing through the hallucination, sending Ada into the wall behind her, telling who he thought was Miranda that everything was all her fault. Ada tried to talk to Vincent again, but Vincent stopped her, telling her to get out of her sight as he recoiled in fear. Ada started to cry suddenly, running away from Vincent, Vincent remained where he was until he heard something clattering in the distance, as well as a shriek from Ada and a dragging noise. Vincent went to see what was going on, but when he found Ada dragging a sword away from a fallen suit of armor, Ada told him not to come into the room, telling him to rest in another room until he felt well again, and until then she would protect him while staying out of his sight as he had requested. Ada tells Vincent that it was okay, because she would always be by his side, but something else catches Vincent off guard, as a member of Isla Yura's cult came up behind Ada, ready to kill her. Vincent called for Echo immediately, and so Echo jumped on top of the cult member and slashed through him with her knives, saving Ada. Vincent then knocked Ada unconscious, telling Echo to escort Ada out of there, Echo asked if by 'out of there' Vincent really meant to get Ada somewhere safe, which makes Vincent glare at Echo. Echo supported Ada while she walked out of the room, stating that taking her to Gilbert would suffice, meanwhile, Vincent questioned why he worried about Ada, despite the fact that Ada cries, laughs, is all around annoying and has seen him a his worst. Vincent clenched his fist, kneeling down beside the cult member to tell him that he had many questions he'd like to ask, although he didn't want Ada's assailant to answer them all right away as he really needed someone to torture. Vincent then used his scissors to begin cutting off the cult member's ear. Drops of water fall down and hit Oz on the face, waking him up. Suddenly, he's asked by a woman in a red cloak, with Phillipe sleeping in her lap, if he had finally come around. Oz sits up immediately, looking to Alice, who is still unconscious. The woman asks how Oz was feeling, stating that she believed that Oz's close proximity to the Sealing Stone was causing him a lot of pain, which is why she moved him to the room they're in now. Oz remembers how they were following Phillipe until suddenly both he and Alice felt the same oppressive strain that had been felt around the Sealing Stone in Rytas' mansion, and so Oz surmises that his headache must have gotten so bad that he lost consciousness. Oz glares at the woman and explains how Phillipe had said that leading Oz to the Sealing Stone was part of his role in the play that the orphans were putting on, asking what she was playing at by using such young children. The woman hesitates and begins to explain before Isla Yura jumps into the conversation and states that they were going to be reenacting the Tragedy of Sablier. Yura notes Oz's displeased expression and asks what was wrong. Oz says that Yura really had some nerve. Yura states that there really isn't any point in hiding it anymore, waving to his cult members to enter the room, and saying that Oz had probably already figured out that Yura was behind all of this. Oz asks if he's right that the red robed people were followers of Yura's cult, asking if he really wanted to see his country swallowed by the Abyss. Yura gets close to Oz and explains that he was exactly right and that he had been waiting for this moment to arrive for such a long time. Yura explains that the former owner of the mansion was one of the guardians of the Sealing Stones, and that he had left behind a large stack of books on the Abyss and the Sealing Stones, explaining that the cult had used this to prepare a ceremony to reenact the Tragedy of Sablier. He goes on to say that the cult had done its best to assemble the right components and actors for the reenactment, but the problem was getting Oz and the nobles, to pose as sacrifices, to the mansion for the ceremony. Lucky for Yura, Oz's suggestion for a Coming of Age Ceremony was the perfect solution, allowing everything to fall into place at last. Yura becomes ecstatic as he explains that currently the crimson flower of blood was blooming in the ballroom, which was now engulfed in flames, stating that he can't wait to see it all. Oz tells Yura to cut the crap and asks what he means by reenacting the Tragedy of Sablier, explaining that he didn't even know what he was talking about. Oz explains that the Abyss is darkness and nothing else, no matter how far you run in any direction, and so Oz can't understand why they'd want to cast people into that kind of warped dimension. The woman with Phillipe bluntly states that Oz is a liar, and the entire cult follows her lead, accusing Oz of being a liar, stating that the Abyss would bring them salvation. The woman explains that in the Abyss there was no passing of time, no fear of death and so it was a golden paradise where both the living and the dead could live together happily. She then goes on to say that despite this, Pandora conceals the Abyss' existence in order to have the paradise all to themselves, which then prevents many souls from being saved, and so those who only care for their own greedy sinful desires are sent to a false Abyss, much like the Illegal Contractors. The woman finished by explaining that unlike Pandora, the cult was trying to lead everyone into the true world. Yura puts his hand on the woman's shoulder and tells Oz that according to their in-tell, the Tragedy of Sablier was not a tragedy because some people were thrown into the Abyss, but because the entire world was not led into the Abyss. Suddenly, Phillipe begins to whimper in the woman's lap, and so as Phillipe's Incuse appears, Yura states that one of the other orphans must be using the power of their Chain. Yura tells Oz not to worry, as anyone who gets in the way of their sublime rite would be beheaded by Humpty Dumpty. Gilbert catches up with Elliot after returning from chasing after Break. Suddenly, two red robed orphans confront Gilbert and Elliot, summoning a Chain, Humpty Dumpty, which then decapitates a nearby statue. Gilbert draws his gun and aims at Humpty Dumpty, as Humpty Dumpty goes in for the kill. Outside, Fang is running with supernatural speed away from Break, with Lily in his arms. Lily asks why they were running away from Break, and Fang looks back and surmises that Break must have followed them outside, then answering Lily's question by explaining that they weren't running, simply relocating to a location where it's easier to battle. Fang draws his sword and defends himself from Break, telling Break how much of an honor it was to fight with him, as Fang had wanted to cross swords with Break like this for a long time. Fang and Break push one another back, and Lily calls out in surprise to Fang, but Fang orders her to stay back reminding her that he'd told her of the power of Mad Hatter. Fang remarks in his head on how strong Break was, being able to fend Fang's attacks off with such a slender sword. Fang goes to attack Break again, and Break simply stands by, stating that this keen intent to kill was so nice before dodging Fang's attack and slicing through Fang's torso with his sword, telling Fang that he was still too slow. A cult member comes up to Isla Yura and tells him that 'the boy' had arrived, which Yura is happy about, despite stating that Gilbert or Elliot would have been better suited for the role. Leo is then thrown on the ground before Yura. Oz calls out Leo's name in surprise and asks what Yura did to Leo. Yura explains that Leo was just another necessary component for their ritual. Yura then lists off all that was needed for the ceremony, Jack Vessalius' body (the Sealing Stone), his soul (Oz), the Baskervilles (Isla Yura's cult), sacrificial victims, the moon, the fire, the symbols, and finally the blood of a friend. Alice wakes up as Yura is saying this before focus is drawn to the clock, which is drawing close to midnight. Yura then states that he is so excited for what's to come. Characters in order of appearance *Fang *Lily *Xerxes Break *Leo }} Terms Trivia *The color image coupled with Blank Smile shows Duchess Vessalius for the first time in a photo showing her younger self with a younger Oscar Vessalius. Navigation Category:Manga